New Paris at Night, part 3

Posted on Wed Sep 15th, 2010 @ 2:53pm by Commodore Samantha York & Colonel Damon Raine

902 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Peace, or Something Like It
Location: New Paris, Turkana IV
Timeline: Current

ON

[OLD]

He sat across the table from her absorbing what she just told him and trying to make sense of how he should proceed.

[NEW]

The waiter returned, asking them if they wanted dessert. Sam looked at Damon, one eyebrow raised. She was always up for dessert, but she would leave it up to him.

Damon had to derail his train of thought at the request. He nodded to the man after thinking on it for a moment. "Please. That would be great. I'll take whatever you recommend."

Sam knew what Damon was thinking. She tried not to laugh as she told the waiter she'd have the same. When the waiter left, she looked at Damon and grinned impishly. "You can never have too much dessert."

"Nope." He quietly laughed at their inside joke. "I happen to be a big fan of dessert." After a couple of moments passed he added to the comment "I happen to be a big fan of you too." He found himself warming to the idea of a family despite his reservations.

Sam placed her hand over Damon's. "Te adoro." She wasn't sure if he understood or not. It didn't really matter.

Just then the waiter brought two bowls of something that looked like something between a bread pudding and a custard. Sam eyed it carefully for a moment. It smelled like it contained vanilla, but it was an interesting collection of spices. She picked up her spoon and took a bite. "Three for three," she said before taking another bite. It was different, but she liked it.

"I certainly hope these people come back to the Federation one day." He reflected while savouring the latest offering. "These recipes alone are worth becoming trade partners."

"I'd pay good money for these recipes," Sam said, finishing off her dessert. She sat back, pleasantly full.

"Well, we are likely to get a chance at another offering before we leave at least. I have a feeling we will be here for a while, there is a lot of work to be done."

"Yes, there is. I think we'll find a lot of surprises down here before we're finished," she replied. Seeing that Damon was finished, too, she stood. "Shall wee see what else we can find before heading back to our room?"

The waiter hurried over with a PADD for them to pay the bill. He bid them come again before turning and heading to another table.

Damon took up the PADD and supplied the payment information.

"Sounds good. Things might look better after that meal we just had."

"Things already look better after that meal we had," she said. "Hopefully we'll find more positive things about this place."

Damon wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the two walked back into the street.

As they walked through the street tunnels the stores eventually tapered off into family dwellings. There were no dividing lines between the units. They all seemed to bleed into one another only distinguished by doors and a few scattered windows. The exteriors were kept clean of debris and the areas in front of the homes were usually decorated with various items. A few people even chose to have gardens; lit by large UV lamps.

Damon could help to think that perhaps this was to "good" end of town. As they came around a corner the tunnel suddenly opened up and Damon's suspicions were confirmed.

The tunnel gave way to a vast cavern that was miles across. It would be pitch black if not for the hundreds of homes that were lit up on the opposite side that was miles away. In between lay a drop of at least five miles and a ceiling that Damon couldn't even guess at the height. As deep as the drop was, lights lit up all sides of the cavern right to the bottom. They were in the top tier of many dozens of levels.

Damon let out a loud whistle as he walked to a railing hugging the cliffs edge. "This is truly something else."

Sam walked up beside him and wrapped her arms around his waist as she looked at the vast cavern. "It's amazing, isn't it?" She looked around. "I wonder how they get from one city to another?"

They stood there for several minutes, taking in the vastness of the space. "I'm glad the railing's here," she said, holding him a little tighter.

Damon smiled "Always important to have something to hold on to." He gave her little squeeze.

"You know," he started as he took in the special "This is really an engineering feat. I might see how some people would prefer a life down here. It's a warm tight knit community and it's safe. They don't need much in the way of material possessions, so it keeps them level." He shrugged "Some might even protect to keep this." He thought of the talks.

"As long as they have law and order, it can be a pretty great place," Sam admitted. She leaned against Damon, enjoying the moment for a little longer. "Well, shall we take another route back to our room? See what else this city has to offer?"

"Absolutely. I've been pretty blown away so far, kind of intrigued to see what else we might find."


(To be continued...)

Commander Samantha York
Commanding Officer
USS Calypso

Major Damon Raine
Marine CO
USS Calypso

 

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